Histopathological changes in the infrapatellar fat pad in an experimental rabbit model of early patellofemoral osteoarthritis

Background

The purpose of this study was to characterise the histopathological changes in the infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) in the early stage of patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA).

Methods

Sixty-four New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into experimental (n?=?24), sham (n?=?16), and control groups (n?=?24). In the experimental group, denoted as the patellar ligament uneven shortening group (US group), the patellar ligament (PL) was folded eight millimetres and sutured. After eight weeks, all animals were euthanised, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation, wet IPFP weight measurement, and histopathological and immunohistochemistry analysis were performed to analyse the histopathological changes in the IPFPs.

Results

The maximum cross-sectional area (CSA) of the IPFPs in the sagittal position of MRI in the control group, sham group, and US group were 45.50?±?7.19?mm², 45.88?±?6.60?mm² (vs. control group, P?=?0.907), and 53.83?±?8.24?mm² (vs. control group, P?=?0.015; vs. sham group, P?=?0.035), respectively. The MRI intensity of the IPFPs in the control group, sham group, and US group were 115.53?±?28.85, 108.53?±?26.73 (vs. control group, P?=?0.589), and 154.52?±?18.48 (vs. control group, P?=?0.002; vs. sham group, P?=?0.002), respectively. The wet weight of the IPFPs in the control group, sham group, and US group were 0.32?±?0.05?g, 0.32?±?0.04?g (vs. control group, P?=?0.895), and 0.38?±?0.06?g (vs. control group, P?=?0.017; vs. sham group, P?=?0.033), respectively. The Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scores of the IPFPs in the US group were 6.00?±?1.91, which was higher than the scores of 2.50?±?2.02 (P?<?0.001) in the control group and of 2.75?±?1.67 (P?=?0.001) in the sham group.

Conclusions

The histopathological changes of the IPFPs as determined via MRI and microscopic structure appeared to occur much earlier than cartilage damage in PFOA. Furthermore, detecting and treating the IPFP changes may offer aid in the diagnosis and treatment of PFOA.